How Schools and Universities Can Benefit From Using a Document Management System

How Schools and Universities Can Benefit From Using a Document Management System

Written by Bridgette Hernandez  on 11 June 2020

Computerization is the blessing of our time, which has reached all aspects of human life, including our work. A computer has long replaced people when performing most routine work and gradually penetrates more and more intellectual and creative sections of human activity. So, it is not surprising, that many have a desire to shift more of their non-profile work onto machines and devote all their attention to more pressing tasks than filing and other mind-numbing paperwork.

Modern schools and universities deal with loads of files, so it’s not surprising that they developed a need for streamlining and high-quality information support of their processes, which determines their implementation of electronic document management systems. Keep reading if you want to learn all about the main benefits of implementing a document management system for educational institutions.

What Is the Point of Implementing a Document Management System?

Document management systems are systems that allow managing various types of documents and information.  Such a system should allow managing all tasks, through which educational and management processes are fulfilled, ensure data transparency and accessibility, provide convenient channels for its delivery, allow efficient storage, and the safety of information. Therefore, the main tasks of such a system are to capture, manage, store, deliver and preserve information.

A good document management system should help manage all processes taking place at school or university. Depending on the educational institution’s scale, its structure can consist of many divisions, diverse in tasks and functions. It is necessary to build information communications in such a way that will include all participants in a particular process.

The goals of implementing electronic document management systems are as follows:

• Creation of a single database in the organization.
• Ease and efficiency of working with documentation.
• Minimization of file loss.
• Control over documentation, its efficient storage.
• Improving the efficiency of the entire organization as a whole.

It is worth noting that each student prepares tons of files during their education. All their assignments demand much work, so having a helpful site to browse for solutions is necessary. You can use this resource to study various essay samples in order to perfect your writing as well as get ideas for your projects.

Consider how many students attend each educational institution, and envision a number of documents (personal files, essays, assignments, etc.) each student prepares. If you multiply both numbers, you will be left with an insurmountable amount of files, which need to be received, organized, and stored. This is where document management systems can come into play and take the data management process into people's hands.

Advantages of a Document Management System

University or school automation as a whole is a labor-intensive process that requires certain investments, both intellectual and financial. However, electronic file management has many advantages, making many organizations happily abandon paper documents.

Document management system implementation has the following benefits:

• Creates order in an institution, by organizing an entire document flow.
• Eliminates or significantly reduces routine operations' quantity, manual work with files. Automated systems greatly simplify processes of data input, processing, control, import or export, etc.
• Ensures document protection, data security.
• Allows fast and efficient search of necessary data.
• Allows compact data storage on storage devices or even remote servers, so if a fire or another disruptive event on campus arises, one does not have to worry about information loss.
• Saves employees’ time and effort spent on manual filing and document management.
• Saves time spent on preparing and searching for documents.
• Allows interacting with files in seconds: change, copy, send a file, etc.
• Provides limited access to certain information for different employees.
• Allows increasing interaction speed between employees and departments, as well as promoting their mutual responsibility for actions committed or not committed within the cooperation framework.
• Keeps paper information carriers’ amount to a minimum or excludes them completely.
• Reduces paper consumption, which is a big issue with educational institutions. According to statistics, each teacher uses from 25 to 75 paper sheets per day to handle documentation, while an approximate amount of paper used by one school in a year is 360,000 sheets.
• Reduces paper, ink costs.
• Reduces time spent on a printer or other equipment maintenance.
• Lessens labor intensity in relation to filling data.
• Increases professional skills of employees and faculty members.
• Allows accumulating technological, analytical knowledge, which gives an opportunity to form broad views on institution development.
• The system usually allows using previously entered into the program or newly created document templates, which provides an opportunity to structure all university files under one template.
• Facilitates institutions' management system monitoring. Document management system performance analysis allows identifying shortcomings in university management. The control over information’s receipt (delivery), as well as document’s formation, can reveal deadline violations, insufficiency to assigned functions or specialists in this process. Also, the control process allows the most efficient work coordination between all performers within a specific process, as well as checking order execution and quality of documents supporting the process.
• Simplifies the audit

It is important to note that educational institutions receive a direct effect from electronic document management introduction, which is determined by saving resources and time, as well as an indirect effect, which manifests in management process transparency, data passage control, document security, etc. However, the effect they receive is beyond helpful, bringing data management to a new level.

 Wrapping Up

Today using an electronic document management system is expedient, relevant, as well as a rationale for any institution, which has to work with big amounts of data. Schools and universities fall right into that category, as they face constant abundant, rapid document flow every day, which can leave an institution incapacitated to deal with more important processes. Therefore, introducing a data management system is a logical move that most institutions make in order to cope with data management stress, as well as properly organize, automate this process. The benefits of electronic data management are beyond counting, so if you are considering trying such a solution yourself, there is no need to hesitate any further!

Author's bio: Bridgette is an accomplished writer with multiple years of professional experience in editing. Her work allows her to connect with readers across the globe, providing them with refined and well-organized information on many relevant topics. Bridgette strives to create articles that are both informative and easy to read so that people could get easily digestible knowledge from her work. Bridgette loves sharing her ideas and insight with the world, answering questions that bother specialists worldwide. In her free time, Bridgette loves cooking and playing the piano.